Cumbria shootings: We never had a chance to stop Derrick Bird, say police

Police in Cumbria have claimed they were powerless to stop Derrick Bird’s
killing spree after disclosing how the taxi driver shot dead 10 of his
victims within an hour.

Derrick Bird killed 10 people within an hour in what police called the 'second phase' of the rampagePhoto: PA

By Richard Edwards, John Bingham and Caroline Gammell

10:35PM BST 04 Jun 2010

Craig Mackey, the Cumbrian chief constable, said no police officer got close enough to the killer to end his “45-mile rampage” any sooner. But the force’s handling of the attacks – and whether its officers or other agencies had any contact with the killer before the shooting – will be investigated by the independent police watchdog.

Cumbria police said the incident would be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Some residents in the area questioned why police failed to track down the 52 year-old sooner as he roamed the countryside with a shotgun and rifle, killing 12 people before shooting himself.

At one stage police came within 30 seconds of catching up with the suspect and, after tracking him to woods, feared he would target them in a “final stand”. But they never got close enough.

“At no stage did any police officer have the chance to end this any sooner,” Mr Mackey said..

• A charity claimed that Bird had showed suicidal tendencies by slashing his arms, raising fears that an opportunity to stop him might have been missed;

• New evidence emerged suggesting that tension over a £25,000 gift from Bird’s father to his twin brother David could have been the catalyst for the spree. The taxi driver was said to have felt further injustice after a failed police investigation meant he was forced to pay for damage when his car was hit by an uninsured vehicle;

• David Cameron visited Cumbria and described the community as “incredibly brave” in facing up to “the most appalling tragedy”.

Bird’s previous contacts with police – including him apparently reporting his complaints about the fare scams of fellow taxi drivers – will be studied in the IPCC inquiry to determine if there were any opportunities missed to recognise his deteriorating mental state.

Dept Chief Constable Stuart Hyde said: “I am aware of some older contacts but I am not aware of any complaint being made about the police contact or response.

“This is a major, critical incident and the community should [expect to] understand if we have done everything we can and should have done.”

Mr Mackey defended the response of his force, one of the smallest in the country, to the incident during which – at one stage – Bird killed one person every six minutes.

The chief constable said every armed officer in the county, 42 in total, was deployed to the area.

“Twelve innocent people – mothers, fathers, partners and friends – were brutally murdered as they went about their daily lives and I am 100 per cent committed to getting to the bottom of this investigation,” he said. Among the messages of condolence left on the website of a local newspaper were condemnations of Cumbria police’s handling of the tragedy.

One reader, Bob Lunn, wrote: “I feel sorry for the people who have died, and the family and friends that they left behind.

“But how was this guy not stopped sooner? The police have a lot to answer for.”

Police confirmed that the investigation into the killings would focus on Bird’s “finances, relationships with his family and colleagues”.